


2 AM

by molossiamerica



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Happy Ending, Other, ford is a worry wart and it pays off, platonic brotherly love, stanley is drugged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-07-14 22:24:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7193264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molossiamerica/pseuds/molossiamerica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Stanford Pines' paranoia pays off when his brother is missing, and Stanley Pines accidentally takes drugs in a nightclub.</p>
            </blockquote>





	2 AM

It was two in the morning.

It was two in the _goddamned morning_ , and Stanley had yet to contact Ford.

They'd been docked in a mid-sized city in Alaska since midnight last night. After sleeping until noon the next day, Stanley and Stanford had gone into town to run some errands. They'd restocked the boat with as much new equipment as they needed, as well as plenty of food and some simple, lightweight appliances. Afterward, the pair had each gotten some new clothes and two gifts for Dipper and Mabel, which they mailed along with letters and a little spending money. They could still communicate via cell phones and using their laptops (Fiddleford had helped them get Wi-Fi signal on the boat somehow), but the kids appreciated receiving handwritten letters and presents, even if Mabel did complain that she had so many drawings she wanted to send them but couldn't.

The pair had successfully restocked the boat, had lunch together in a nice, quiet diner, and then decided to go looking for adventure. Ford had immediately jumped at the opportunity to question any person he saw about local paranormal legends or lore, and had gotten some very promising information along the way. For a while, Stanley had accompanied him, idly wandering around and helping out wherever he was needed. However, he'd quickly grown bored, and soon enough the two had agreed to meet back at the diner at midnight so they could be well-rested before they set sail again the next day. Stanley had exclaimed something about 'Alaska babes' before running off in the direction of (Ford assumed) the nearest bar or strip club. Even though Stanford didn't think a sixty-year-old-man in a nightclub would attract any sort of 'babes,' he knew that Stanley could be rather charismatic and convincing, and gave his brother the benefit of the doubt regarding his luck with attractive people of any sort.

He hadn't been worried at the time. Hell, he hadn't even been worried when a half an hour after their designated meeting time had came and went. Slightly annoyed, yes, but Stanford was well aware of some of his brother's 'escapades' from his younger years. Stanley had plenty of interesting stories to tell about his past, and while most of them Ford hated to hear due to the sad, often violent or graphic nature, his stories of partying in sleazy, run-down nightclubs were always more bearable. Stanley viewed these times as the most pleasant parts of that phase of his life, and while none of it was what Ford would call 'happy', it was definitely a step up from his brother's other experiences during his years of scamming across the country.

Forty-five minutes past midnight and Ford had left an angry voicemail and two text messages for his brother. By the time 1 AM rolled around, Ford had left three more voicemails and he was very, very annoyed. Wherever Stanley was, it was clear that he was purposely ignoring him, and he might very well have been with someone. While the thought that his brother was 'getting some ass' as Stanley would have put it deterred him momentarily, he decided that he didn't care. He was going to track his brother down and drag him back to the boat so they could get some rest, even if he had to throw the man over his shoulder and carry him there. They'd agreed to meet an hour ago, and it was just rude to be late when Stanford had stuck to his word and arrived exactly when and where they had decided.

One thirty, and Stanford had been into a bar and a strip club looking for his brother. According to the various bouncers and bartenders he'd talked to, no one had seen his brother. He'd made sure to ask if there were any other similar establishments, and had gathered the address and directions to every place given to him. According to those he'd spoken to, there was a nightclub and another bar he hadn't checked. So, weary and beginning to think something might not be right, Stanford was quick to get to the next nearest place. When he was informed that there had been no sign of Stanley, his heart began to pound madly. The only place was the nightclub on the far end of the city, and by now he was beginning to panic.

Any number of things could have happened to Stanley. Not only was there paranormal creatures to worry about, but there was bound to be criminal activity in a nightclub at this hour. What if someone had hurt him? What if he was locked up in the back room talking to some shady mob boss? What if a vampire had mesmerized him and taken him away? What if he was having a memory lapse, disoriented and terrified to find himself alone in a nightclub with nobody who knew him? Or, what if he was simply too drunk to remember, or sleeping with someone, or simply ignoring Ford?

As Stanford stepped out of the taxi, angry about the ridiculous price but unwilling to argue with the driver, he shoved his wallet into his pocket. Then, he marched up to the bulky man standing in front of the door and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me," he said. "Have you seen a man who looks like me come in here recently?" He questioned, trying to keep his tone light enough to come across as non-threatening but stern enough to convey that he had no time to spare.

The man looked him up and down, scrutinizing him with one brow raised. Stanford subconsciously shoved his hands into his pockets and stared him down, furrowing his brows and narrowing his dark eyes to look as tough as he could.

"Yeah," the man said after a moment. "He came in around ten, just left a few minutes ago."

"How many minutes ago? Was he alone?" Stanford demanded, whipping his head around as if he would catch sight of his twin strolling down the street.

"Dunno, man. We get a lot of people in here. Maybe ten, fifteen minutes? He was alone, though. And pretty drunk." The man replied, shrugging his shoulders absently. "You his brother or somethin'?"

"No shit, Sherlock! Did you see which way he went?" Stanford growled, whipping his phone out to dial Stanley's number again.

Wherever his brother was, he was going to get an earful when he wad found. Getting drunk off his ass and stumbling out of a nightclub two hours after he was supposed to meet his twin on the opposite side of town? Ford knew Stanley was irresponsible and impulsive, but this was idiotic! How dare he leave Stanford run all over the city, speak to annoying bouncers and bartenders in obnoxious buildings whilst surrounded by inebriated crowds, just to drag him back to the boat? It was ridiculous! Even so, the thought of Stanley being alone and drunk in an unfamiliar town made him worry, and he was eager to find his brother and get him back to the boat where he could safely yell at him for being so inconsiderate.

"Uh, I think he went that way," the man replied, jerking his thumb to the right, toward town.

Stanford sighed. "Thank you." He hissed, rolling his eyes as he marched in that direction. As he did so, he checked his watch.

2:15 AM. Of course! This had ruined their whole plan! At the earliest, he'd get Stanley back to the boat by 2:35, and since they had planned to get nine hours of sleep, have breakfast in town, and leave by noon, this would set them off schedule by at least three hours, not including breakfast!

Then, his phone rang. Ford jolted, staring at the device as it rang loudly in his six-fingered hand in surprise. It was an unknown number, but he answered and raised the cellphone to his ear anyway.

"This is Stanford Pines." He answered cordially, his voice dripping with frustration.

There was a cough, some scuffling, and a sniffle on the other end. Ford raised a thick brow and waited, contemplating hanging up.

Then, " _F-Foooooord_ ," Stanley's slurred voice groaned into the phone.

"Stanley? Where are you?" Stanford questioned urgently.

" _Foooord, F-For... I-I need—Somebo... S-S-Someone put somethin' in m-my—my... Foooord, heeeeelp._ " There was more sniffling, and Stanford was quick to realized that Stanley was crying.

Any trace of anger melted away immediately and dread settled in the pit of Ford's stomach, heavy and horrible, weighing down on him instantaneously. He stopped on the empty sidewalk, clutching the phone in his hand tightly, eyes widened and his body frozen. Panic joined dread and Ford realized with horror that his brother had been drugged, his brother was somewhere by himself in an awful, vulnerable state, somewhere where anything could happen to him and he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

"Where are you?" Ford practically yelled into the phone.

" _I-I... I was—was in, uhhhh... club. Club, and, a-and, 'dunno, I wush—w-wasn't drinkin'_."

"Stanley, look around you. Can you please, please try and tell me what's around you? Are there any street signs?" By now, Ford had raised a trembling hand to his head and was running it through his grey hair, already having thought of a million and one different things that could happen before he found his brother. "Stanley?!" Ford cried when a few seconds passed in silence.

" _S-Sooorry." Another pause. "I—F-F-Ford, I luh' youuuu. Yanno? Y-Yanno I... I, uh... Yer always, a-always... b-been better 'an me_."

"Listen, I need you to focus right now! Can you please tell me what's around you? I'll come and get you, alright?"

" _Yuh—yuh w-will? Maaaaan, th-that's—_ "

"Stanley! Please, focus! What do you see?!" Ford yelled.

" _Uh—Um... Th-There's, uh... Suh... Suuuuuumbody's got 'em a h-hardware store._ " The man on the other end slurred in his familiar gruff voice.

"A hardware store? What is it called?"

" _Uh—I-I can't—Foooord, pshhleeeaase come a-an' get m-me!_ " Stanley whimpered, sniffling again.

"I will, Stanley, but you need to help me! What's the name of the hardware store?" Ford pulled the phone away from his ear and set it to speaker, then navigated to a web browser after a second's hesitation. He was still getting used to the smartphone the kids had bought him, but it was certainly coming in handy now. As Stanley began to stutter again, no doubt trying his best to form a comprehensible reply, Ford made it to google maps and typed in their current city.

" _I... jush—so haaard, r-readin'... I-It's... Fuh real, S-Six... Sixer, ish... 'M th-thinkin' says... J-Jer—Jerry's..._ "

Stanford typed in 'Jerry's Hardware' hurriedly, sighing in relief when he found that, not only was it a real place, but it was only two blocks away. Unable to think of anything but his brother, he immediately took off in the instructed direction, sprinting toward the hardware store.

"Alright, Stanley, I'm coming!" He yelled loudly into the phone.

He listened for a response to make sure his brother was still there, his feet pounding on the pavement as he ran drowning out what was actually said. Then, he barelled around a corner, immediately spotting his brother. As expected, he was a little more than a block away, just past the hardware store he'd mentioned. Ford couldn't make out anything more than a shadow leaning heavily against what looked to be an ancient payphone.

"STANLEY!" He hollered at the top of his lungs as he ran, watching as the figure moved away from the payphone.

Then, the man was approaching him, stumbling slowly toward him as Ford ran to meet him. The moment he was close enough, Stanford flung his arms around his brother and squeezed him with everything he had, relieved beyond belief.

"S-Sixer," Stanley groaned, shaking. One of his shaky hands came up, weakly clinging to the shoulder of his twin's jacket, and his shoulders shook as he cried.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! You're fine, I'm here, it's alright," Ford soothed hurriedly, pulling away a bit to look his brother over and make sure he didn't have any physical injuries. Taking in his brother's red, puffy eyes and tear-stained face made guilt wash over him like a wave, and he immediately slipped an arm underneath his brother's, helping to support him.

"I wash—F-Ford... W-wush wooooorried... 'M sh—s-sorry..."

"Don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault." Stanford replied softly.

A vehicle suddenly turned the corner, headlights on, and Ford whooped with joy at the sight. He'd completely forgotten to have the cab follow him, but it seemed that he was lucky enough to have a cab driver that happened to be heading the same way he was. He raised his arm, waving frantically, and after a moment the vehicle pulled over on the curb beside them.

"You again? C'mon, I was gonna clock out." The driver said when Ford opened the backseat door.

"Heeeeeey! Dun'—dun' ya dare m-make fun... f-fun of m-my bro... uh... twin a-again!" Stanley hollered as his brother helped him into the cab.

"It's alright." Ford told his brother as he slid in beside him. "Yes, me again, for the last time. I'm sorry I'm interrupting your plans, but I have had quite an ordeal tonight and him even more so, so I would appreciate it if you would just do what I'm paying you to do and get us to the docks." He growled angrily.

The cab driver huffed, but said nothing as he turned the car around and headed back toward the docks.

"What happened to 'im?" The driver asked after thirty seconds of listening to Stanley sniffle and shift around in the backseat.

"Someone drugged him." Ford answered with disdain.

"Did he come from Barkley's?" The driver asked.

Stanford raised a brow. "Yes. Why?"

"You two must be new in town. Place has a rep for drugs and stuff. Someone probably thought his drink was some hot chick's." He said, glancing into the rearview mirror with pity in his eyes. "Must've gotten roofied."

"Roofied?" Ford asked, a brow shooting up in the air. This must be another slang term that originated after he'd gotten sucked into the portal.

"It's a date-rape drug. Stands for somethin' else that kinda sounds like that. Y'know what a date-rape drug is, right?"

"I'm familiar with it, yes." Ford answered, ignoring the patronizing tone of the driver in favor of thinking more on date-rape drugs. He'd heard of them, of course, but they hadn't been nearly as common as they were now when he'd last been in this dimension. Or, at least if they were, he was too stuck in his research to notice.

"F-For... Sssssixerrrr!" Stanley suddenly whined, interrupting his brother's conversation.

Stanford looked over, brows knitting together with concern as he caught sight of his twin. With the back light of the car on, he was able to see much more of Stanley's appearance, and what he saw wasn't good.

Stanley was still crying, for starters. His eyes were huge, puffy, and filled with tears. His shoulders were shaking and, as he raised a wrinkled, strong hand and ran it across his worn face, it became clear that he was trembling everywhere. His glasses were nowhere to be found, mot likely lost for good in the nightclub, and his jacket was torn and stained.

"I mush—m-missed ya, yanno. W-W-When—whens ya were i-in the portal, I... shhh... shometimes, s-sometimes I'd just... just l-laaaaaaay in yer old rude—r-room, an', an' I'd jus' sit up 'n think 'bout ya, w-won... wonder if ya were a-a-alright." Stan hiccuped and wiped harshly at his eyes, seeming to recuperate for a moment. Abruptly, he hunched over, breaking into sobs. "All... All m' f-fault, shu—y'were allllll alone 'n I, I-I jush... I jus'... was all m' fault..."

Ford frowned, leaning closer. "Stanley, please, it wasn't your fault. If anything, most of what happened was my fault."

"No!" His twin protested heatedly. "'C-Cause yer—yer th better o-one. Outta us, I'd, ah... wan' you... Erryone, all've been b-better off... If I-I wush... wush the one t' g-go a-an' end up in ssssshome, s-sshome goddamned other d-dimenshhhhion."

Stanford's eyes widened and he looked up, but the driver wasn't giving them any weird looks through the rearview mirror, and the man realized that the driver had probably tuned them out. Even so, he bent his head and lowered his voice when he spoke to his brother again.

"Stanley, that is not true. I'm not the better twin by any means, and no one would be better off without you. Alright?" He argued softly, frowning.

"B-Buh... Yer th-the smart t-tw... twin, a-an ya allllllways g-got a plan, an'..."

"Stanley, you know that's not true. I—"

"Alright, we're here." The driver interrupted as the cab stopped.

Ford looked up, surprised, and then sighed. He paid for the ride and helped Stanley out, supporting most of his weight as he lead the stumbling man back to the boat. His brother blubbered good-twin-bad-twin nonsense all the way to their room, but Ford was quick to quiet him once he'd been laid down on the bottom bunk.

"Stanley, that's enough. You are not, nor have you ever been, useless, stupid, or the worse one of us. You and I are can both be idiots, and we both made mistakes, but you have the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever met, more determination in your pinky finger than most people have in their whole body, and you stick with the people you care about no matter what. You love unconditionally and you're extremely loyal, and that is hard to find in a person. You're worth the whole world to me, and Dipper and Mabel. Alright? So let's get some sleep and pray that you feel better tomorrow, because this is worse than dragging you home drunk."

Stanley blinked rapidly, then slowly nodded. He began to cry anew, but now there was a shaky smile on his face and Ford knew the tears were out of happiness.

"Luh ya, Sixer." Stanley slurred, head dropping against the pillow. As expected, he was out like a light.

Ford sighed in relief and cast a small smile in the direction of his twin. "I love you too, Stanley."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this was enjoyable to read! If you liked it, please comment and tell me! If you notice any typos/other mistakes, point 'em out and I'll be happy to fix it!


End file.
